These are personal opinions that don’t necessarily reflect the belief of Belly Up Sports as a whole.
The divisive state of American politics has invaded every corner of our lives. Facebook and Twitter are awash with posts from supporters on both sides of the aisle. Friendships are strained. Families get split along party lines. Contemporary politics seeks to pick at these scabs of division, leveraging differing opinions into chasms of mistrust and judgment. Nowhere in sports does the line blur more than with NASCAR. Where most people and professional sports take a wide berth around the country’s new third rail, NASCAR seemingly embraces its’ role in national politics. Undoubtedly politics and NASCAR have made strange bedfellows.
American sport has long been an oasis from politics. On game day people would unite as fans of teams before returning to their corners of idealism like Ralph Wolf and Sam Sheepdog of Looney Tunes days.
A Conservative Hotbed
NASCAR has never shied from its’ political leanings. Lifelong fans will remember the iconic images of President Ronald Reagan celebrating Richard Petty’s 200th victory. The southeastern roots of stock car racing have always embraced conservative politics. The 2000’s saw the term “NASCAR Dad” enter the lexicon as Republicans sought to counter the liberal power of suburban soccer Moms. During the run-up to the 2016 election, then NASCAR CEO Brian France and multiple drivers publicly supported Donald Trump. Despite the insistence that these endorsements were personal, Trump touted that the sport as a whole was in his pocket.
And he’s not wrong. Tracks around the country, from weekend bullrings to the superspeedways, have always seen an abundance of American (and Rebel) flags. Now it is commonplace to see Trump stickers and MAGA hats. The question is whether embracing its’ conservative reputation is to NASCAR’s benefit or detriment.
Who is the NASCAR fan?
If you ask a non-fan what a follower of NASCAR looks like and represents, you’ll get a much harsher depiction than what is reality. To continue the Looney Tune analogy, Yosemite Sam would be a pretty good approximation. In reality, NASCAR fans are almost 40% female and on average slightly make slightly more than $50,000/year in salary. One in five identify as minority. This is all from a Digital Media Solutions study on marketing to NASCAR fans. The problem NASCAR has faced is its’ aging base. Fewer new fans are entering the sport in the vital 18-24 age bracket.
Cold Hard Facts
Much has been made of the tinkering to NASCAR’s schedule and points format. For the past decade, television ratings had seen a sharp decline. Most notable to the layman is the visibly empty stands. Bristol had 55 consecutive sellouts from 1982 to 2010. Over that time track capacity increased from approximately 30,000 to over 160,000. On race day Bristol became the 3rd largest city in the state of Tennessee. In 2019 the track didn’t even bother to sell tickets in the turns for the Spring race. The community is at least partly to blame. Hotels and restaurants have largely priced out the average fan. The Bristol area saw rooms starting at $300 for the Friday before last August’s night race. Who can afford to go to even the most entertaining event if its in the middle of nowhere and it costs a couple of paychecks to take a family of four?
The television ratings at least have stabilized since last year according to Forbes. Does this mean the sport has hit rock bottom and only the diehards are left? It’s a peculiar situation as most of the complaints about stage racing and the playoff format seem to come from long time fans. But apparently they keep watching through all the bitching.
So What Does This Have to do With Politics?
NASCAR has made a conscious effort to champion diversity in recent years, to varying degrees of success. The top echelon of racing has seen a woman, an African-American, and a Cuban-American as full time drivers. The Drive for Diversity program continues to seek and promote drivers of color and females. Each fall NASCAR hosts a combine that tests applicants on physical fitness along with media and marketing skills, and on-track activities in late models in the hopes that actual driving skills might manifest themselves. There are plenty of NASCAR fans who are female, Democrats, and non-Christian. So why does NASCAR’s leadership steer into its’ politics so much?
Sports are by definition entertainment and a distraction from everyday life. People don’t go to a game to see a political candidate. The NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL all take great pains to maintain their neutrality. Rob Manfred changed baseball’s rules regarding its’ lobbyists and political donations. The NFL has had myriad problems regarding free speech and patriotism, but has never outwardly supported a candidate or ideology. The France family has always been comfortable with public support for politicians. Bill France, Sr. endorsed George Wallace in the 1960’s.
Questionable Decisions
A race in Texas was sponsored by the NRA in 2013. Right after the school shooting in Sandy Hook and theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado. Let that sink in for a minute.
While other sports have the national anthem or God Bless America before games, NASCAR goes farther and has an invocation as part of its’ opening ceremonies. It should be noted that even this benign religious ritual is often used to espouse political view these days.
Why This Matters
Quite simply, in this day and age of sports, NASCAR is placing a hard limitation on its own fanbase. With so much competition for viewer’s attention, it is not a viable business model to ostracize potential audience members, particularly in the one sport where sponsorship is central to survival. The Drive for Diversity program has shown marginal success, largely in pit crews and shop employees if not so much behind the wheel. NASCAR openly panders to jingoistic attitudes that are eerily reminiscent of views shared by extremists and fringe groups.
I also have to ask myself would I feel the same way if the politics in NASCAR were more to my taste. Also, would NASCAR fan be ok if Black Lives Matter sponsored a car or if Texas hosted the Planned Parenthood 500? I think this is precisely why the overt display of political favor should be removed from NASCAR. Then there is the argument that President Trump isn’t making the best use of his time. NASCAR is among the most pro-Republican sports. In contrast, sports like baseball (where Trump received a lukewarm reception at best when he appeared at the World Series) boast more progressive fans. I’m no politico but the President’s reelection campaign seems to center on fortifying his base. This strategy may not do the sport any favors over the long run.
Lastly
Above all, I will continue to attend and watch races. I think if more liberal-minded people followed suit they would see that the people are by and large friendly, tolerant and respectful. And hardly any look like Yosemite Sam.
Yes, I went there. Politics on a sports site. I’m sure I’ll regret this but leave your thoughts in the comments here or troll me on Twitter. I’m happy to have conversations about a topic where people lose their minds so quickly. And continue to follow the system of checks and balances at Belly Up Racing.
